Process of knitting ornamented fabric having elastic thread incorporated therein



' 6, 1940- J. L. GETAZ 2.210.075

PROCESS OF KNITTING ORNAMENTED msnxc HAVING ELASTIC THREAD INCORPORATED THEREIN 4 5 Sheets-Sheet l H! HIHIIHII HUI! H HHHHH oriinal Filed April .15, 1937 Q5 IPVENTOR gmm e ATTORNEY Aug. 6, 1940. J L GETAZ 2.210.075

PROGESS 0F KNITTIflG bRNAIENTED FABRIC HAVING ELASTIC THREAD INCORPORATED THEREIN Original Filed April 15, 1937 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY Aug. 6, 1940 J L GETAZ 2.210.075

PROCESS OF KNITTING N I N KAVING Aug. 6, 1940. J; L. GETAZ 2.210.075

PROCESS OF KNITTING ORNAIENTED FABRIC HAVING ELASTIC THREAD INCORPORATED THEREIN' Original Filed April 15, 1937 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 w w a 205 27/6 r i a i v d FF? r a U i '1 III 7:,1' i

ATTORNEY J L. GETAZ- I 2.210.075

Aug. PROCESS OF KNITTING ORNAMENTED FABRIC HAVING ELASTIC THREAD INCORPORATED THEREIN Original Filed April 15, 1937 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Aug. 6, 1940 PATENT OFFICE PROCESS OF KNITTING ORNAMENTED FAB- RIC- HAVING ELASTIC THBEAD INCORPO- RATED THEREIN M James Louis Getaz, New York, N. Y.

Original application April -15, 1937, Serial No. 136,993., Divided and this application October 5, 1939, Serial No. 297,999

4 Claims.

My invention consists of the novel features hereinafter described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings which illustrate several embodiments of my invention and so much of 5 the apparatus for carrying out the process, of making the same as is necessary for the purpose of explaining them, and the said invention is fully disclosed in the following description and claims. This application-is a division of my former application for Letters Patent of the United States, Serial No. 136,993, filed April 15, 1937, now Patent 2,204,731.

My present invention relates to a process for the production of ornamented knitted fabrics, preferably circular seamless fabrics, formed by plain knitting and having an elastic thread incorporated under tension in certain spaced courses (or in all the courses) and secured to the fabric at separated wales in each course in which the elastic thread is present, without the necessity of using any additional thread or threads beyond the ordinary body thread or threads, and the said elastic thread. In such fabrics when in undistended condition, the elastic thread, preferably of rubber or the well known Lastex, lies in undistorted lines extending around the circular fabric and with suilicient tension to draw the fabric together into vertically disposed riblike ridges simulating rib knitting. The elastic thread is preferably secured to alternate and vertically aligned wales of the courses containing it by feeding it to those needles of a circular knitting machine, which form such wales, below the latches of said needles and passing it behind the intermediate needles while all of the needles receive the body thread or threads. The tension of the elastic threads in drawing thefabric togetherand producing the vertical rib-like ridges causes the wales in which the elastic thread has been fed below the latches to project to the front or outer face of .the fabric, and submerge the intermediate wales, which are forced rearwardly although said intermediate wales continue to face toward the outer face of the fabric. The tension of the rubber thread is preferably such as to draw the outwardly projecting wales close together forming a smooth surfaced fabric closely resembling rib knitting, as fully disclosed in my former application for Letters Patent of the United States, Serial No. 53,824, filed December 10, 1935. This fabric finds its greatest use in the top portion of mens, womens and childrens half hose and anklets, in which it provides a form fitting and self-supporting top which will closely engage the leg of the wearer and at the same time support the leg of the stocking without the useof garters; I

It is desirable in such articles of hosiery, and particularly those intended for use by women and children, that the top of the socks shall be ornamented so as to present a more attractive appearance when displayed for sale, and also in the distended condition on the leg of the wearer. I have found that if the elastic thread is fed to the hook of a needle, that is to say, on the latch or above the latch so that a loop of both the body thread and the elastic thread is drawn by the needle through a loop of the preceding course, the tension of the elastic thread causes it to straighten out, and in so doing, the portions of adjacent loops are distorted so as to form a distinctly recognizable flgure on the face of the fabric and if in the immediately following course the same needle again draws a loop of the body thread and elastic thread through the preceding composite loop comprising the body thread and elastic thread, the frictional resistance of the rubber threads in said loops will prevent both of them from straightening out and the surrounding loops of the body thread will be distorted so as to produce a small opening in the fabric and a distinctly recognizable figure on the surface of the-fabric. By suitable combinations of these figures formed in either of the above ways, very pleasing ornamental figures and other forms of ornamentation may be embodied in the fabric without recourse to any additional thread or threads. These patterns which may be in the form of circles, diamonds, or other special forms, will clearly appear regardless of the fact that the Lastex or other elastic thread is of the same color as, or a different color than the body thread, and I prefer to employ Lastex of the same color as the body thread.

In carrying out my present invention to make 40 the plain portion of the fabric, I provide for a vertical separation or selection of the needles, certain needles, preferably every other needle, being placed in raised position with respect to the other needles sons to receive the elastic thread below the latches thereof. To form the omamental pattern, certain selected needles which are preferably among those which are to formthe wales on the face of the fabric areelevated to a lesser extent by a suitable pattern mechanism so as to receive the elastic thread in such manner that it will be caught in the hook of the needle, that is to say, that the elastic thread is fed to'these selected needles upon or above the latches thereof. The needles are then brought to a substantially uniform level whereby the intervening needles between those receiving the thread below and upon their latches will be brought in front of the elastic thread and all of the needles will receive the body thread in the hooks thereof before reaching the knitting wave. It follows, therefore, that in knitting such a course of stitches that every needle will draw a stitch or loop of the body thread, the needles receiving the elastic thread below the latches will pass the elastic thread and permit it to slip over the tops of their hooks, while the selected needles which are to form a part of the ornament l pattern will draw loops of both the main thread and the elastic thread and produce the ornamental unit previously described. By a proper regulation of the pattern mechanism these ornamental units can be placed at difierent points in succeeding courses so as to produce almost any ornamental forms or figures desired. In the preferred form of my invention, I select the same .needle or needles in two successive courses to receive the elastic thread in the hook or hooks thereof, so as to produce two successive loops containing the elastic thread in the same Wale or wales as will be hereinafter more fully explained.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view illustrating an arrangement of needles and selecting mechanism therefor, operatable in a known type of circular knitting machine for carrying my invention into effect.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of a portion of the knitting cylinderat the point indicated at the line 2, 2, of Figure 1, showing a needle with its co-acting needle jack and its selecting jack.

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2, on the line 3, 3, of Figure 1, showing two needles being raised by their selecting cams.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 2, on the line 4, 4, of Figure 1, showing one of the needles raised high enough to receive the elastic thread below the latch.

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 2 on the line 5, 5, of Figure 1, showing one of the selected needles raised to a height suificient to receive the elastic thread on or above the latch.

Figure 6 is an enlarged diagrammatic view showing three needles, one of which has received the elastic thread below the latch, another needle which has been moved upward forward of the elastic thread, and a third needle which has received the'elastic thread on the latch.

Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 6, showing all the needles receiving the bodythread.

Figure 8 is a similar diagrammatic view showing the loops as drawn by the needles shown in the preceding figures.

Figure 9 is a diagrammatic view of the inner face of the fabric embodying the preferred form of my invention, the loops being in the positions as originally drawn by the needles.

Figure 10 is a similar view of the inside face of the fabric showing the positions assumed by the body thread and elastic thread as they actually appear in the fabric and illustrating one pattern unit.

Figure 11 represents diagrammatically a portion of the fabric showing a plurality of ornamental units arranged in a conventional design.

Figure 12 is a diagrammatic view of the outer face of the fabric shown in Figure 10.

Figure 13 is a view similar to Figure 9 show-- ing a modification of the invention in which the ornamental unit is formed by the production of a composite loop of the body thread and elastic thread in a single course.

Figure 14 is a diagrammatic view showing the distortion of the surrounding body threads effected by the straightening out of the elastic thread in a composite loop, and illustrating one of the ornamental units so formed.

Figure 15 represents diagrammatically a portion of the fabric illustrated with the ornamental units of the type shown in Figure 14.

Figure 16 represents a portion of an anklet or short sock provided with the ornamental design illustrated in Figure 11,- in accordance with my invention.

A suitable machine for carrying out my present invention is the well-known Scott & Williams circular knitting machine, portions of which are herein shown for the purpose of enabling my invention to be clearly understood. As illustrated in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, the needle cylinder indicated at l is provided with a circular series of needles 2, each of which is provided with the usual knitting nib 3, for engaging the usual knitting cams shown at 4, 5 and 6, in Figure 1. Below each needle is a needle jack 1, provided with a cam engaging nib 8,-below which is a selecting jack 9, having portions of its inner edge disposed angularly to other portions so as to permit it to rock against the action of a surrounding spring l0 engaging said selecting jacks adjacent to their upper ends. Each jack 9 is provided adjacent to its lower end with a plurality of selecting butts indicated at H, below which is an operating butt I2, which would engage a selector cam indicated at I3 in the normal position of the selector jack. Such a machine is illustrated, for example, in U. S. Letters Patent to Ernest W. Marshall and Lawrence B. Holt, No. 2,040,946, dated May 19, 1936. The selecting cam I3 is intended to elevate the needles which are to receive the elastic thread e from a suitable thread guide 6 below the latches thereof, which needles form the wales which are thrown to the outside of the fabric when completed, and for convenience of reference they will be designated by the numeral 2 and are preferably the alternate needles of the series, the intervening needles being indicated at 2. Certain selected needles of the series of alternate needles, and which I have designated 2 located at points where a pattern unit is desired and which are preferably needles forming wales appearing on the face of the fabric, are elevated above the needles 2 but are not elevated high enough to receive the elastic thread below the latches thereof. On the contrary, they receive the elastic thread upon or above the latches, so that it is acted on by the hooks to draw loops. The selecting jacks 9 for the needles 2 are provided at their upper ends with cam engaging nibs l4, adapted to engage a second selecting cam l5 when said jacks are pressed inward at their lower ends to disengage them from the cam l3 and thrust the upper ends outward to bring the nibs M in position to engage the auxiliary selecting cam l5, as illustrated in Figures 2, 3 and 5, for example. Suitable pattern means is provided for efiecting a selection between the alternate needles of the series comprising the needles 2 and 2 the selecting jacks of which normally engage the cam 13. The jacks for the remaining nedles 2 are knocked down so that they do not at any time engage the cam 13. The

pattern means also comprises means for knocking down the selecting jacks of certain of the needles 2 to disengage said selected jack or jacks from the cam I3, and permit it or them to be raised by the second selecting cam ii, at points 'where a pattern unit is desired. .The knitting machine referred to is provided with a well known tently in a rotary direction by suitable connectionswith the pattern mechanism. All of this mechanism is well known and specifically forms no part of my invention, and it therefore will not be further illustrated nor described, it being understood that the reader cam levers will be operated at the proper times to knock down certain of the selecting jacks provided with the nib ii to insure the formation of a pattern unit at the desired point .or points in the several courses of the fabric. It will be further understood that the butts II on the selecting jacks which are not to be operated by a particular reader cam lever, will be broken off to permit the inward movement of the lever and the actuation of the proper selecting jack or jacks, without operating the others. In order to produce the body fabric which is not ornamented, it is necessary to make a preliminary separation of the needles so that the selected needles indicated at 2 for example, and being preferably every other needle, will be normally elevated high enough to receive the elastic thread below the latch, while the intermediate needles will not be raised and normally do not receive the elastic thread at all. This preliminary selection is effected by a special lever l6 operated by a suitable cam in ad- Vance of the operation of any of the levers 20 20, etc., and in this instance, I have shown it arranged in position to engage one of the butts ll, preferably the .lowest one in the series to knock down every other one of the selecting jacks as indicated in Figure 2, the alternate jacks remaining in position to engage a selecting cam l3 which will elevate their needles indicated at 2 to such a high position as to receive the elastic thread below the latch as indicated in Figure 4, for example, while the knock down jacks will pass the cam IS without raising their needles 2. Subsequently, the needles 2*, will be raised by the engagement of their nibs with a cam l1 and the upper gradeoithe knitting cam 4 to the shedding point, and as these alternate needles 2 move upward they pass-in front of the elastic thread e, so that the elastic thread is interlaced between the needles 2 and 2, respectively, as described in my former application above referred to.

For the purpose of producing pattern units and operating certain needles, selecting jacks having the nibs ll, are inserted in the cylinder grooves below certain selected or all of the. needles, preferably of the group constituting the alternate needles 2, by-which various units of the pattern are to be knit, and I have designated the needles operated by the nibs l4 instead of nibs l2 of these special selecting jacks, by the characters 2 to distinguish them from the rest of the series 2. The jacks for these needles only, 'are selectively knocked down by the reader cam levers 20, 20 etc., in a well known way, and in accordance with the desired pattern, so as to disengage their lower ends fromthe cam l3 and bring their nibs 14 into operative relation with special cam [5. The selected needle or needles of the group 2, will therefore be raised by the cam l5 instead of the cam l3, and will be raised to a lesser extent so as to receive the elastic thread e upon or above the latch, and 'as all of the needles receive the body thread b from the thread guide b at the throat of the machine, the

selected needles of the group 2 will draw a composite loop'containing the rubber thread, to-

gether with the body thread.

Referring to the series of illustrative Figures 6, 7 and 8, Figure 6 shows very graphically one of the needles 2 extending through a loopof the body thread 22, and having the elastic thread 6 fed under the latch of the needle. The adjacent needle 2 has risen through its loop on the forward side of the elastic thread and the next needle, one of the group of needles 2' extending through its loop, has received the elastic thread upon the latch. Figure '7 shows the same needles in the same relative positions receivingthe body thread for the next coursein the hooks of all the needles. Figure 8 represents what takes place when the needles are carried down the knitting wave. Needle 2 draws a loop of the body thread b in the rear of the elastic thread e, forming a wale which appears at the front face of the fabric. Needle 2 draws its loop of the body thread b on the forward side of the elastic thread e, thus locking the elastic thread into the fabric, as clearly indicated in Figure 8. The needle 2 which receives the elastic thread on the latch, from which it will pass into the'hook of the needle, and also receives the body thread b in the hook of the needle, will draw a composite loop b e, as shown at right in Figure 8.

Figure 11 illustrates one form of ornamentation which I may employ by grouping the ornamental units hereinafter described and. represented by D, in a suitable form as a diamond or lozenge shaped figure. As will be noted, in knitting this figure, the ornamental unit D will occur once at the top of the figure in a particular course, twice in the second course following, three times in the next second course following, etc., to carry out this particular design. This particular design will require at each place in the fabric in which it is'knitted, thirteen selecting jacks having the elevating nibs l4, and the pattern mechanism' will be adjusted to bring selected ones of these thirteen jacks i'nto operative relation with the auxiliary elevating cam l5, to enable the selected needles to draw the composite stitch, preferably in two successive courses, as will be readily understood.

Figure 9 illustrated diagrammatically the construction of the fabric as knitted in accordance with'the preferred form of my invention to produce the design illustrated in Figure 11, in which the various operations previously described and ward of the elastic thread. The wales w and 10 areformed by needles 2", which are raised in front of the elastic thread and which draw loops enclosing the elastic thread as shown, while the wale 10* contains a composite loop or stitch b e, 7

determined design indicated for example, in Figure 11. Course 2, in Figure 9, does not contain an ornamental unit in this instance, the wales w 10 w and 112', being formed by needles 2, while the wales 10 w and w are formed by needles 2 no needle of the group 2 having been selected, by the selecting mechanism due to a partial rotary movement of the trick wheel.

In courses 3 and 3 of Figure 9, due to a further rotation of the trick wheel and consequent knocking down of jacks for two different needles 2 two of the ornamental units are formed in the same manner, but in the wales 10 and w, in accordance with the design shown in Figure 11. In successive courses containing the design unit D, said units will occur at different points in such courses in accordance with the desired pattern as will be readily understood.

Due to the tension under which the elastic thread is fed in order that it may draw the fabric together to form the rib-like ridges previously described, the inter-engaged composite stitches b e and b e will be actually distorted from the theoretical positions indicated in Figure 9, and will produce distortion of the surrounding body threads in a manner indicated in the central portion of Figures 10 and 12, which shows the actual shape of the design unit D as it appears under the microscope, while the effect as viewed by the naked eye is substantially as shown in Figure 11, the particular design depending upon the arrangement of these design units produced as above described in the fabric.

Figure 10 represents the inner face of the fabric, and Figure 12 represents the outer face of. the same. It will be noticed in Figures 10 and 12, that where a composite loop b e is followed by a corresponding composite loop drawn therethrough in the next course, the engagement of said composite loops prevents the elastic thread in either of them from straightening itself in the fabric and the consequent puckering of the fabric produces the ornamental unit.

In some instances, I may produce an ornamental unit comprising a composite loop b e drawn in one course only, as in course 2 of the fabric illustrated diagrammatically in Figure 13, in wale 10 thereof. In such case, the elastic thread e will straighten out as indicated at e :c, in Figure 14, simultaneously distorting the surrounding body threads b and producing an ornamental unit D, which units may be appropriately grouped to form a design such as indicated, for example, in Figure 15.

It will be understood that the particular design produced by the units D, or the units D, may be varied to any desired extent and located at any desired part or parts of the fabric in accordance with the setting of the pattern mechanism and the location of the selecting jacks having the nibs it. In Figure 16, for example, I have illustrated an anklet A having a top portion '1 formed of fabric having the elastic thread incorporated therein in the manner hereinbefore described, with particular reference to Figures 9, 10 and 12,

and having the pattern shown in Figure 11 arranged at several points around the elastic top at any desired number of places. This will provide an attractive ornamentation of the elastic top and as the ornamental units occur in the wales which are forced to the surface when the fabric is in its non-distended condition the pattern will be clearly visible when the hosiery is exhibited for sale. Furthermore, when the hosiery is worn and the top is more or less distended by the leg of the wearer, the pattern being carried by the outer wales, will merely expand laterally so as to widen the pattern or ornamental design formed by the ornamental units so that the ornamentation will be just as effective as when the fabric is in the non-distended condition,

It will be understood that the entire fabric with the exception of the ornamental units themselves will comprise courses having the elastic thread incorporated by being attached at spaced wales, preferably alternate wales, and floated on the inside of the fabric between the wales in which it is secured. These floats form substantially continuous spirals which slightly indent the skin of the wearer and'securely hold the fabric in position on the leg of the wearer as well as causing the fabric to conform, thus doing away with the necessity of using garters.

While I have shown in the accompanying drawings Figures 9, 10, 12, 13 and 14, the elastic thread e in all the courses of the fabric, it will be understood that it may be omitted in certain courses and the elastic bearing courses may be spaced to a greater or lesser extent, as desired, and as permitted by the characteristics of the particular ornamental pattern in which the pattern units D or D, are to be arranged.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent-is:

1. A method of ornamenting plain knit fabric having a substantially uniform ground and an elastic thread incorporated under tension therein in certain courses which consists in feeding a body thread to the hooks of all of the needles, feeding an elastic thread under tension in front of certain needles below the latches thereof and behind intervening needles in selected courses to form the body fabric and lock the elastic thread at predetermined wales in said selected courses, and feeding the elastic thread into the hooks of certain selected needles in the courses containing the elastic thread, and causing said needles to draw composite loops of body thread and elastic thread, the elastic thread in said composite loops tending to straighten out in the fabric, and thereby distorting the adjacent loops of the fabric to produce ornamental units in said ground fabric, and with the face of the fabric provided with designs of said ornamental units formed by the knitted loops containing the elastic thread arranged upon said ground in accordance with a predetermined pattern.

2. A method of ornamenting plain knit' fabric having a substantially uniform ground and an elastic thread incorporated under tension therein in certain courses which consists in feeding a body thread to the hooks of all of the needles, feeding an elastic thread under tension in front of certain needles below the latches thereof and behind intervening needles in selected courses to form the body fabric and lock the elastic thread at predetermined wales in said selected courses, and feeding the elastic thread into the hooks of certain selected needles in the courses containing the elastic thread, and causing said posite loops tending to straighten out in the fabric, feeding the elastic thread in the same manner in the next successive course and causing said selected needles-todraw composite loops of body thread and elastic thread through the composite loops'of the preceding course, the engagement of said composite loops tending to prevent said loops in both courses from straightening out under tension, the engagement of said loops and the tension of the elastic thread distorting adjacent loops formed of the body thread, and producing ornamental units in said ground fabric,

and with the face of the fabric provided with designs of said ornamental units formed by the knitted loops containing the elastic thread arranged upon said ground in accordance with a predetermined pattern. V

3. A method of omamenting seamless plain knit fabric containing elastic thread in certain courses thereof which consists in raising certain separated needles, and feeding an elastic thread thereto under tension below the latches thereof certain selected needles of said separated needles being raised to a less extent and receiving the elastic thread above the lowerends of their latches, raising the remaining needles forward of the elastic thread, feeding a body thread to all of the needles, and drawing stitches on all of said needles, said selected needlesdrawing composite loops of body thread, the elastic thread in said composite loops tending to straighten out, thereby distorting adjacent loops ofthe fabric and forming ornamental units, in accordance with a predetermined pattern.

4. A method of ornamenting seamless plain knit fabric containing elastic thread in certain courses thereof which consists in raising certain M separated needles, and feeding an elastic thread thereto under tension below the latches thereof, certain selected needles of said separated needles being raised to a .less extent and receiving the elastic thread above the lower ends of their latches, raising the remaining needles forward of the elastic thread, feeding a body thread to all of the needles, and drawing stitches on all of said needles, said selected needles drawing composite loops of body thread, and in an immediately following course feeding the elastic thread and body thread in like manner, and thereby causing said selected needles to draw composite loops of body thread and elastic thread through the composite loops only of the preceding course, the engagement of said composite loops preventing the elastic thread in both loops from straightening out, and the engagement of said composite loops and the tension of said elastic thread effecting adistortion of the adjacent loops of the fabric, and producingornamental units, in accordance with a predetermined pattern,

JAMES LOUIS GE'IAZ. 

